


We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off

by PhantomSoRandom



Category: Original Work
Genre: Abusive boyfriend, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Gay, Humor, Inappropriate Humor, LGBT, LGBTQ, M/M, Romance, dance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-19 01:56:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 17,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9412697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomSoRandom/pseuds/PhantomSoRandom
Summary: When Kenai finds that a dancer at a gay club is being abused by his boyfriend, he saves him and decides to make him his roommate. How will their relationship turn out?





	1. Chapter 1

I stood under the street light, waiting for Carlos to meet me by the cafe. It was late, and I was starting to get cold and irritable. Right when I pulled out my phone to text him, I heard his voice.

“You ready?” He asked, walking towards me and stopping a little way from me.

“I’ve been ready,” I sniffled. My nose was starting to get stuffed.

He started walking until he stopped and turned to look at me. “You’re not sick, are you?”

 

“No, I’m not,” I answered and started to walk ahead of him. “Let’s just get this over with so I can go home.”

“Alright,” he said, throwing his hands up to his chest and following after me, but I stopped to let him lead the way since I had no idea where this place was at.

 

It took us five minutes to get there. I had no idea that it was so close to my job. There was a small building in front of us with a down staircase that lead to the entrance. I could hear music as I walked down the steps. Carlos opened the door.

“Gays first,” he said.

“Shut up,” I quirked a brow. “You’re gay, too.”   
“Fine. Raging homosexuals first.”

I rolled my eyes as I walked in. 

 

This place was definitely a gay dance club. There was at least one drag queen in every group. There were people sitting and standing, having drinks or dancing. I had wondered why Carlos wanted to bring me here.

“Come with me,” he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a crowd of people circled around something that must have pretty interesting. I thought there was somebody passed out or something until we pushed our way through to see two guys dancing to salsa music.

 

They were dancing beautifully. One of them was dark skinned and wore a cool grey hoodie and sweats. Meanwhile, the smaller and pale one wore a white crop top and leggings with these big black boots. He had an asymmetrical haircut where the left side of his head had longer hair than the other which was tied in a very small ponytail. The way he moved was amazing and oddly sexy. I watched in awe.

 

Suddenly, his glance met my stare, and he smiled. It made my pulse race, but when he started walking towards me, I felt my heart drop into my stomach. Carlos watched in surprise as he grabbed ahold of my hand and pulled me in the middle of the circle. 

“Wait, I can’t…” I trailed off, and he put my hands on his hips as his slim fingers ran through my dark hair. 

 

He danced dangerously close to me, so close that I could feel his breath against my skin. It made me wide eyed and confused, but slightly turned on. He then started grinding on me, and man was his ass nice. I grinded back with my hands on his waist and he smirked before stopping to go back to dancing with his previous partner.

 

I walked back to Carlos who looked at me with his jaw dropped and his brows raised. He stammered trying to find the right words to say to me.

“Spit it out!” I told him.

“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?!” He shouted.

“You call that  _ lucky _ ?”

Carlos scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you something to drink.”

 

We sat on the bar stools at the counter and I drank some water. It was only for a little while, but that dancing made me extremely thirsty. It was probably from my nervousness. 

“I can’t believe this,” Carlos took a shot. “After all this time I’ve been here, I haven’t gotten one chance to dance with that sexy son of a bitch.”

Good. So I wasn’t the only one that thought he was sexy.

 

“Who was that guy?” I asked, taking another gulp of my water, finishing it off. “I mean I can see why he’s so special, but who is he?”

“His name is ‘Santiago’,” he used air quotes with his fingers. “No one knows his real name.”

“Weird,” I looked down at my hands, the ones that were just on the hips of the one called “Santiago”. 

 

We stayed at the dance club for a while, just sitting and enjoying our drinks. I was only a little tipsy, so I walked Carlos home first before I headed back to my apartment. I kicked my shoes off at the front door and walked to my room. I opened the door with a numb hand, and a wave of cologne hit me. I really needed to air out my room.

  
  


It was a few days later when I was at work and a guy came in. He had blond hair styled in a fringe up and deep green eyes. It was like love at first sight for me. I usually got this feeling. It was always a tight feeling in my chest and my ears would go hot. I haven’t gotten that feeling in a long time until I saw the guy that walked through the door. Marissa got his order, gave it to me, and I decided to make it with extra love. 

 

I put my beating heart and soul into his drink. Inside I was extremely happy, but apparently to my co-workers, I look like I’m always mean mugging people. It was a slightly depressing moment when he left. It was like losing a goldfish. Sad, but not so important.

 

“I saw that look in your eyes, Kenai,” Marissa said to me during our lunch break. We were sitting outside, the sun blazing on my light coffee tan skin. 

“He could have been the one,” I stirred my straw in my iced coffee.

“And you let him get away,” she shook her head.

“Yeah, I did,” I breathed out and took a sip of my drink. I let him get away.


	2. Chapter 2

That night, I decided to put in some extra hours at work. I was in charge of cleaning and closing up. After doing what had needed to be done, I walked outside, and noticed there was a full moon that night. As I fumbled through my pocket to grab the keys, I heard distant voices arguing, so I turned around and saw two figures in front of the apartment complex across the street.

I squinted to see that one of them, to my surprise, was the one and only “Santiago”, while the other figure was an angry looking white guy. He was staring down at “Santiago” who then lowered his voice and grabbed his face with both hands, and then kissed him. The other guy had wrapped his arms around his waist. I looked back at the door and locked it.

 

Almost every night Carlos and I would meet each other under the street light next to the cafe, and we’d walk to the dance club together. We would watch “Santiago” dance with a different partner every night, and he would always be wearing a crop top. But this time, he wore a regular long sleeve. It concerned me a little.

 

“Why isn’t he wearing a crop top today?” I asked Carlos, raising my voice a little for him to hear. Hips Don’t Lie was playing a little too loud.

“It happens sometimes,” he responded carelessly.

“That’s weird.”   
“I don’t know, man, maybe he just gets cold. Now stop talking to me so he’ll dance with me.”

_ In your dreams _ , I thought as I rolled my eyes. 

“I’m going to get a drink.”

 

I sat at the bar waiting for my Long Island Iced Tea. I drummed my fingers on the counter and tapped my feet on the floor, listening to the music that played. I wasn’t usually the type to go to bars or dance clubs. Believe me, I’m not. I’m more of a stay at home kind of guy, but I wanted to change that. I wasn’t going to get a boyfriend any time soon if I stay at home. I guess I always just thought that if I was patient enough, maybe the perfect guy would show up to my door. 

 

If you’re wondering if I play the role of the “girl”, I do. But I can also play the role of the man. I don’t mind doing either. I’m versatile. I always grew up wondering what I would do and found that I could do both and enjoy it. Did I try it? No. Do I want to? Yes. Definitely. But with the right person, of course.

 

I guess you can say the main reason that I want to find a lover is so I can do  _ it _ with them. It’s pretty lustful of me, I know, but I can’t help the curiosity. It’s like finding a big red button and wondering what it does.

 

I first found out I was gay when I was playing spin the bottle at a party when I was in middle school. I was in eighth grade at the time and pretty dumb. I remember Carlos being there, too. We all sat in a circle and there was a half empty water bottle in the middle of the floor. We didn’t have any wine bottles. We were in middle school, for goodness sake. 

 

Anyway, I spun the bottle and it landed on Tori Valenzuela. I was so uncomfortable with the idea of kissing her for some reason, but I did it, and I didn’t like it. Then, Jacob Adams spun the bottle which landed on me. I remember how fast my heart was beating back then. When we kissed, I felt like my heart was going to burst. Jacob was my old friend, and I guess I had always liked him because when the time came for me to kiss him,  I could recall how oddly excited and happy I was. 

That was long ago, and now I’m twenty and as Carlos says, a raging homosexual. I literally crush on every hot guy I lay eyes on, as said before. I came out of the closet during my freshman year of high school, and my parents were pleasantly okay with it. It’s not obvious that I’m gay. When people find out, they say “but you don’t seem gay” like I’m supposed to wear a rainbow T-shirt everywhere I go. It’s a typical thing us homosexuals hear. I’m actually kind of glad I’m not really out there. I’m a little too shy for that.

 

One night as I was closing up shop again, I heard the same voices arguing. I couldn’t exactly make out their words, but I knew they weren’t happy. I turned around and watched them. It was “Santiago” again and the same tall guy. I had wondered what they were arguing about, and if they do this every night in front of the apartment complex. Suddenly, and in a quick action, the tall one raised his fist and decked him in the face. 

“Hey!” I shouted on instinct. It scared me how my body moved without  _ my _ permission. I was already across the street before I knew it. I couldn’t go back now.

“Who the fuck are you?” His question sounded more like an angry demand. You could see it on his face that he meant business. 

“Who the fuck are  _ you _ ?” I asked right back, trying to seem tough when honestly it felt like my ears were being pushed in and I couldn’t tell if my heart was beating or not.

 

“Fuck you, I don’t have to tell you that,” he cursed squinting his eyes. “Now get out of my way before I kick your ass.”

“I’ll leave when you leave Santiago alone,” I tried to keep my voice leveled. I must have sounded really lame at the moment.

“Fine, you can keep the slut,” he threw up his hand and let it fall before walking off.

 

“Thanks a lot, asshole,” the so-called “Santiago” said. His voice was enchanting even though it was mad at me. “Now where am I going sleep?”

I felt bad for him. I totally just caused him and his boyfriend to break up, but if he hit him like that as often as he made it seem, then they didn’t belong together in the first place. 

 

“What’s your name?” I asked. I was more curious about his real name at the moment than I was with what his argument with his boyfriend was about. 

“Santiago” paused for a second. “Why should I tell you my name?”   
“If you’re going to stay at my place for the night I’d like to know your name first.”

“...Kai,” he said after a long moment of hesitation. 

“Kai?” I laughed. 

“Piss off,” he flipped a bird. This guy wasn’t as great as Carlos made him out to be.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” I rubbed at the back of my neck, “it doesn’t really suit you. I’m Kenai.” I held out my hand for him to shake.

“Like Brother Bear Kenai?” He just looked at me with confusion.

“No, the city in Alaska,” I furrowed my brows.

“Whatever,” Kai scoffed and folded his arms. Once again, he was wearing a long sleeve. It made me wonder. 

 

“Hey, I’m letting you stay at my place for the night. I would be a little more nicer, you know,” I quirked a brow.

“What if I don’t want to stay the night at your place?” He sassed right back.

“Have fun sleeping at the park,” I turned on my heel and started walking away until he grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait,” he said. “Where do you live?”

 


	3. Chapter 3

We walked to my apartment late at night, and I was a little chilly with my sleeves rolled up. I tried not to let it show, though. We stayed in a silence until we got to my place. We went up the stairs and as he followed behind me, I felt my heart pounding like crazy. I, Kenai Brown, brought home the sexiest gay guy in the city.

 

I dropped my keys on the counter when I walked in, telling Kai to make himself at home. He looked around the apartment, folding his arms.

“It’s not as small as I thought it would be,” he commented. 

“Thanks?” I said. 

“Can I take a shower?” He rubbed his jaw where his boyfriend had punched him. It looked like it hurt. 

 

“Yeah, sure,” I nodded my head. “Bathroom is first door to your right down the hall. There’s towels in the closet in there.”

“Thanks,” Kai said before heading for the shower. I plopped down on my couch running my fingers through my hair in exhaustion. I could have gotten my ass handed to me and look like a real chump. But I didn’t. To my surprise, I didn’t. 

 

I knocked on the bathroom door with boxers, sweats and a T-shirt in hand. “Kai?” I called. “I have a change of clothes for you. Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” he called back. 

I opened the door to see that he had a towel in front of his crotch and bruises that covered his torso and arms. It made my heart sink. Now I knew why he wore a long sleeve at the club.

 

“Did he do this?” I asked, trying to conceal my anger. I couldn’t stand couples that abused each other whether physically or emotionally or verbally or whatever. I couldn’t stand any of it. 

“If you don’t tell anyone,” Kai began, dropping the towel from his front and walking over to me with a look in his eyes, “I’ll do whatever you want.” He started nibbling my ear.

 

I lifted my hands to his chest and gently pushed him away. He looked up at me with confusion.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’m not like that.” 

Kai rolled his eyes and turned around, and like I said before, did he have a nice ass or what. I left the bathroom feeling my face go hot. 

 

I grabbed a blanket from my bedroom closet and a pillow from my bed and threw them on the couch where Kai would be sleeping. As I waited for him to come out of the shower, I made burgers for dinner. I wondered if this was a good idea. No, this definitely was a bad idea. I barely knew the guy. The only thing I know about him is that he grinds really well, and that he’s got an abusive boyfriend. If I thought about it, that’s all I needed to know for him to stay in my apartment. The abusive boyfriend part.

 

I jumped when I heard the bathroom door open and shot my head around to see Kai dressed in my clothes that were too big on him. He could wear my shirt as a dress. I had to admit, he looked rather adorable. 

“Thanks for this,” he walked over to the small, round kitchen table and sat down. “Sorry I was kind of an ass back there.”

Was he talking about in the bathroom? Or in front of the apartment complex? Either way, I said, “Don’t apologize.”

 

Kai didn’t say anything else and just sat there. I brought a plate over to him that had a burger and fries on it.

“Hope you’re not a vegan,” I said, handing him the ketchup and mustard. “Pickles?”   
“Who puts pickles on their burgers?” He asked.

“A lot of people do,” I shrugged and sat down across from him. 

“Oh,” he simply said, and then started to eat. He seemed pretty hungry.

 

“If you’re going to stay here,” I began, “you have to answer all of my questions honestly, unless there’s something you’re really uncomfortable with.”

Kai chewed, swallowed his food, and paused for a second before saying, “Okay.”

I gulped. “Why did you and your boyfriend have an argument?” 

 

Kai suddenly laughed. “Well, it’s not really a long story. In fact, it’s simple. He just doesn’t like me dancing with other guys.”

“Oh.”

“He gets jealous easily. Honestly, I used to find it cute,” he said. “But then...he started getting violent.” Kai smiled as he said this, but it wasn’t a happy one. 

“Why do you live with him then?” I questioned him.

 

“Now that I won’t answer,” he took another bite of his burger, seeming unbothered, but I knew something was wrong, so I didn’t dig any deeper.

“Alright,” I picked up a fry and shoved it into my mouth. We ate in silence.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I gave Kai a blue shirt that was too small on me and some old jeans I had that were also too small for me. It was a good thing I kept them.

“Where are your scissors?” Kai walked out of the bathroom in my clothes. The jeans seemed to be a little baggy on him, but the shirt looked fine.

Confused, I pointed in the kitchen. “They should be where the knives are in the drawer over by the stove.”

“Thanks,” he said, grabbing them and walking back to the bathroom.

 

A minute or so later, he walked out with my blue shirt turned into a self-made crop top. I watched as he put the scissors back where they belonged and then stepping into his Converse. 

“Was the shirt that uncomfortable?” I asked. 

“No,” he simply said, pulling up the jeans.

“Okay,” I got up from the couch. “Let’s go.”

 

We walked to the bus stop and waited. I was waiting for him to ask why I didn’t have a car, but he didn’t. He just went with the flow of things. I liked people like that, but he was quiet. It made me nervous when people were quiet around me.

“I’ve never taken a bus before,” Kai finally spoke up as we sat on the bench. I looked at him.

“Really?”

“Really, really.”

“Well today’s your lucky day,” I shrugged and looked towards the street, watching cars pass by. 

 

We waited and waited, and waited some more until the bus came breaking the awkward atmosphere. While riding the bus, I watched the passing scenery as I sat next to an awfully quiet Kai. I glanced at his beautiful facial features from time to time. Everything about him was gorgeous and sexy. Those two words fit him perfectly.  _ Gorgeous and sexy _ .

 

When we reached the mall, we decided to go upstairs first. We were shopping for clothes for Kai because he got kicked out of his apartment by his boyfriend. Last night, I heard them on the phone arguing about where he was going to stay. Through the other end, I heard him shout, “I don’t give a shit!” and said he was going to throw all of his stuff away. It made me feel bad, so I decided to buy him some new clothes and other things he needs.

 

“Let’s start off with hygiene products,” I shoved my hands in my hoodie pockets, walking around and looking for a Bath and Body Works shop. 

“Why are you wearing that?” Kai suddenly asked. 

“What?”   
“That hoodie. It’s like eighty degrees out.”

“I get cold in the mall easily,” I said. “I’ve got low iron.”

 

Finally, we found a Bath and Body Works. When we walked in, a whiff of perfume and soap hit us. It made Kai sneeze adorably. I chuckled.

“Shut up,” he sniffled.  

“Go ahead and get what you need,” I told him. “I’ll be over here.” I pointed towards the lotions. 

“Lotion, huh?” He deadpanned.

“What? I like the smell.” 

 

A few minutes passed, and Kai came back with a hand-held shopping basket. In it, there was a hair brush, two razors, deodorant, cologne, and a tooth brush. 

“That’s all?” I asked.

“Is that a problem?” He sassed. 

I let out a sigh. “No, I guess not.”

 

After paying for the things, we walked over to the Forever 21, one of the biggest shops at the mall. Luckily, they were having a sale. I knew exactly what Kai was going to get.

“Come with me to try these on,” he held up five or six crop tops.

I rolled my eyes. He squinted at me.

“Don’t do that.”

 

We went into the dressing rooms and the lady that counted the items didn’t seem fazed at all by what he had brought in. I waited outside the stall that Kai was in. He first came out in a baseball tee-like crop top, and I gave him a thumbs up.

“Thanks,” he said sarcastically before walking back into the stall. For every time he walked out in a different crop top, I tried to seem more enthusiastic. I tried and failed. 

 

But then, he came out in a skin tight and sleeveless black crop top. It made blood rush to my face because he looked so amazing in it. This time, Kai smirked. 

“I’m flattered,” he said, and then walked back into his stall. I turned around and looked in the mirror to see that I was blushing like crazy. Yes, even tan people can blush. I ran my fingers through my bangs and huffed my red cheeks.

 

After he was done shopping for tops, I bought him some bottoms. He did  _ not _ like jeans. Well, baggy jeans at least. He got skinny jeans with rips in them, sweats, and leggings. For every piece of clothing he tried on, he made me give him a review. His ass looked great in everything. 

 

Then, we went to PacSun to get some stuff for me. Fall was coming, and I wanted to buy some flannels. At the front, I was going to pay for my things until I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned my head around to see Kai with three different dark colored jackets: blue, green, and red.

 

I was surprised that he wanted something other than crop tops, but then again, like I said, fall was coming, so he was probably preparing himself like I was. I bought them for him, and we left the store.

 

“Are you hungry?” I asked him as we walked towards the food court, sniffing the air, making my stomach growl so only I can hear it. 

Kai shrugged. “I guess.”

“You don’t talk much, do you?” I finally said what was on my mind.

“Well what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, like, tell me what you’re thinking.”   
“I’m thinking you’re horny for me.”   
“I’m not,” I said, my voice cracking.

 

Kai then sneered and said “whatever” before walking ahead of me. I had to jog a little to catch up with him. He may be short, but he sure can walk fast. We went to CJ’s sitting across from one another, and we ate silently. 

“This is good,” Kai suddenly said. 

I looked at him with confusion.

“What? You told me to speak my mind, so I am.”

“Right. Sorry,” I said, smiling to myself, which seemed like I was smiling at my crotch.

 

After we were done eating, we went back to my apartment. I had the day off today, and for once, I wished it wasn’t my day off. I didn’t want to be alone with a quiet Kai. As we sat in the bus, I tapped my feet on the floor, trying to prepare myself for an awkward day. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

“I’m going out,” Kai said as he finished up his dinner. I made spaghetti, and he ate it quickly. I had wondered why he was in such a rush, but then I remembered what he always does at night. He was going to the dance club.

“I”ll go with you,” I suggested.

“...why?” He asked after a pause. 

 

“It’s my day off. I’d like to do something on my day off,” I explained. “Besides, I like watching you dance.”   
“Yeah, and you like dancing with me, too,” he said before taking a gulp of his water. 

“You remember that?” 

“Of course I do,” he scoffed. “You were the worst grinder that took step in the club.”

I felt embarrassed and annoyed with him at the same time. 

 

I washed the dishes, and meanwhile, Kai was getting ready in the bathroom. As I was drying my hands, I heard a door open, and out walked Kai wearing his skin tight crop top from the dressing room and a black choker that we got at Hot Topic. He also wore black leggings that made his ass pop. The long side of his hair was in a small and loose pony tail, and his bruises were showing on his stomach and arms.

 

“Are you really going to go out like that?” I quirked a brow, looking him up and down, and he rolled his eyes. 

“Obviously not,” he deadpanned. “That’s why you’re going to go out and buy makeup for me.”

I let out a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me that while we were at the mall?”

“I forgot,” he shrugged and touched his abs where there were bruises painted. I looked at them, then looked back at him, and I knew exactly what he was trying to do. 

 

“Fine,” I gave in. “You’re lucky there’s a Target nearby.” I walked over to the door where my shoes were and slipped them on. “I’ll be back.”

I left the apartment and made my way to the crosswalk. On my nighttime journey, I was thinking about how sassy Kai is, and how he seems like he never takes shit from anyone, so why was he dealing with such an asshole like that?

 

I was in the makeup aisle trying to decide on what color Kai was. He was a little pale peach-ish color, so I decided to get what I thought his shade was based on memory. I bought the makeup and left the store. When I got back to the apartment, I unlocked the door and saw Kai sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. Everything he does is sexy.

“Here,” I said, walking over to him and dropping the bag on the empty spot next to him. 

He looked at the bag then up at me. 

“Thanks,” he said nonchalantly, and then opened the bag and peered inside. He frowned in displeasure. “You got the wrong color.”

“My bad,” I responded just as nonchalantly as he was. 

 

Kai walked into the bathroom with the bag and came back out ten minutes later. His bruises were covered. He was right. I did get the wrong color. 

“Let’s go,” he walked right past me without even giving me a glance. I followed behind him. 

 

It didn’t take us a while to get to the dance club. I lived pretty close to work, and work was pretty close to the club. When we walked in together, people looked at us like we were crazy. I was guessing it was probably because Kai’s never escorted a specific person here. I wasn’t ugly. I mean, I used to get compliments back in highschool, so I was pretty confident in my looks.

 

I was given looks of envy and surprise. I guess Kai was more popular than I thought. It was like those stereotypical movies with the most popular girl in school being seen with someone new. I was someone new. 

 

“Don’t talk to me while we’re here,” he warned me before continuing to walk. I threw my arms in the air and then let them fall. I turned on my heel to go sit down, and when I did, I saw Carlos standing not too far away from me with an expression of shock. 

“Why were you with Santiago just now?” 

 

I was just about to ask him who Santiago was until I remembered that “Santiago” was his stage name. I had to come up with an excuse without telling him that I’m hiding him away from his abusive boyfriend in my apartment. I came up with a lame lie.

“We just happened to walk in at the same time is all,” I told him.

“Oh, good,” he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, furrowing his brows looking at me suspiciously. 

 

“Get me a drink?” I asked him. “I’m kind of short on cash.” And I really was. I was spending so much money trying to get Kai some new clothes and makeup, but I couldn’t tell him that either. I didn’t like lying to my friends.

“Alright,” he shrugged, and we made our way to the bar. 

 

We sat down on the stools and Carlos’ feet dangled. He was a pretty short guy, but he was confident, so people didn’t really seem to notice his short stature. Carlos has always been confident in himself, and he’s always been a social butterfly. People liked him. He was easy to talk to. I, on the other hand, am not so approachable. I was guessing it was the scar I had on my cheek. Honestly, I thought it looked pretty cool. I touched it.

 

As we were talking about a plan to hang out my next day off, the door slammed open, and you could practically feel the danger in the atmosphere. It made me uncomfortable, so I looked to see who it was at the entrance, and saw Kai’s pissed off boyfriend storming through the crowd. 

 

I got off the bar stool and headed towards the direction he was storming off to, but he was too fast for me. I couldn’t beat him. He went over and snatched Kai’s hair. I didn’t even wait for a reaction from him. I grabbed his shoulder, pulled him back, and decked him in the face as hard as I could.

 

It hurt my fist, but I had to admit, it felt pretty good. He touched his cheek where I had punched him, and he furrowed his brows. I felt a chill go down my spine. He came at me, but I ducked and he missed me. Now, he was really pissed. He got me good in the jaw, making me knocked down on my back. He then got on top of me and hit me square in the nose, then my cheek, then my other cheek. 

 

I headbutted him, but that didn’t affect him at all. It damn well affected me, though. Just when I was about to do it again, a chair smashed on the back of his head, making him collapse on me, all of his weight pressured on my body. For once, I didn’t want a guy on top of me like that. 

 

I shoved him off of me and looked up to see Kai panting. It didn’t take me long to realize that  _ he _ was the one that smashed the chair on him. He held out a hand to me, and I took it. He used all he could to help me up.

“Why did you do that?” My question sounded more like a demand.  He seemed taken aback at first, but then came back at my question with a question. “What? I don’t get a  _ thank you _ ?”

 

“Let’s get out of here,” I grabbed his arm pulled him away from the scene where people watched us like we were animals in a cage. 

“Dude, what’s going on?” Carlos asked as I rushed past him with Kai behind me, still firmly gripping his arm. 

“I’ll call you,” I told him without looking back. 

  
As soon as we walked up the stairs that lead to the surface, I let go of Kai. Without saying a word, I walked home. I couldn’t hear anything but my pounding heart until I heard his footsteps follow behind me. 


	6. Chapter 6

 

When we got back to my apartment, Kai straightened out his hair with his fingers. I was infruriated. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I shouted.

He made a face of surprise and hurt. 

“What if he didn’t knock out? What if he turned around and something happened to you?” I kept my voice raised, and my face grew hot in anger. As I was yelling, I threw my arms up in the air, and Kai raised his arms to shield his face as though I were going to hit him. A pang hit my heart.

 

I let my arms fall, but Kai still covered his face. He was trembling. I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m not him,” I said lowly.

Kai slowly removed his arms and looked up at me with tears in his eyes, but he didn’t dare let them fall. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered looking down. 

 

I let go of his shoulder and sat on on the couch with a huff, rubbing my jaw. Kai stood there silently until he spoke up.

“I’ll get you some ice,” he said before walking into the kitchen.

He came back a minute later with frozen fruit in a bag. 

“You didn’t have any ice.”

“Thanks,” I took the cold bag from him and put it on my jaw, feeling a sense of relief that came from my face.

 

“How’s your head? He didn’t pull hard, did he?” I asked, starting to get a little angry again, but not so much to where I wanted to take another beating from him.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it,” he said, and it hurt my heart. 

“I’m gonna go to bed,” I stood up and walked towards my room.

“Thank you,” I heard him say, making me stop in my tracks.

“You’re welcome. Goodnight.”

  
  


The next morning, I went to work after leaving a note for Kai saying that if he needed anything that I’ll be at the coffee shop a few blocks away from the apartment complex. I had wondered how long Kai would be staying at my apartment. I tried to foresee him getting a job and saving up enough money for him to get a place of his own. But that would probably take a while, and I’d have to tell my landlord about him staying with me for the time being. 

 

“Kenai?” Marissa called my name, snapping me from my thoughts. I looked at her from making the drink. 

“Sorry, what?” 

“Did you not just notice the hottie that walked in and out?” 

“No?”

“Dude, you even gave him his drink and told him to have a nice day.”

“Sorry, I’m just spacing out.”

 

“Do you have something to tell me?” She folded her arms. “Is there someone in your life now, and that’s why you’re not making googoo eyes at that hunk?”

“Look, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now,” I waved my hand and looked at the clock to see that it was lunch break time.

 

We sat outside of the cafe together drinking iced coffee and eating chocolate muffins, talking about how I had a “friend” staying at my place until he gets back on his feet. I didn’t give her the full details. Only that he broke up with his boyfriend.

“Is he cute?”

“Sexy.”

“And you haven’t tried getting at him yet?”   
“He actually tried coming onto me,” I told her.

 

“I have no idea what he looks like, but when you call him sexy, it must be true,” she said. “So why haven’t you, you know, accepted his offer?”

Marissa knows I have a good taste in men. I have to admit, I’m a little picky, but not too picky. I think everyone is beautiful, but when I say someone is hot or sexy, I really mean it, and Marissa knows it too. 

 

“I told him I wasn’t like that,” I explained. “And by that, I mean I’m not the type to take advantage of someone.”   
“Hey, he offered.”

“I know, but still. I didn’t want to do  _ that _ with someone I’m not dating. You should know that.”

“Do you like him?”   
“No,” I scoffed. “If I did and I told him that, he’d probably bite my head off.”

“A fierce one,” she said, nodding her head. “But are you sure you don’t like him? I mean, have you thought about kissing him?”

I had thought about what she was saying. If I kissed Kai, how would I feel?

 

Work was over, and I decided to head over to the office at the apartment complex and tell the landlord that I was having someone living with me for a while, and she just told me as long as it’s not three people in one apartment, then it’s fine and he can stay as long as he likes. There was no way I was telling Kai that. I didn’t want him to get too comfortable.

 

I went home and saw Kai sleeping on the couch. He was slightly sweating and had flushed cheeks. Something wasn’t right. I went over to him and gently put my hand on his forehead and felt that he was hot as hell. 

 

I went to my room to grab the comforter and pillow off of my bed, then went back into the living room to throw the blanket over him and carefully put the pillow under his head. I looked in the fridge to see if I had orange juice, and thankfully, I did. I then searched the cabinets for soup, but I didn’t have any. I let out a deep sigh, deciding that it was time to go shopping yet again. 

 

I left the apartment locking the door and made my way to the nearby Target. I walked down the canned food aisle and saw a tall hottie by the soups. I gulped.

“Taking care of a sickie, too?” I asked walking towards him, but looking at the cans.

“Yeah,” he chuckled, and then looked at me. “Hey, you’re Kenai, right?” 

I was taken aback.

“Yeah, I am? Who are you?”   
“Dennis. We went to highschool together, remember?”

 

“Sorry, I don’t,” I said honestly, smiling nervously. How could I forget such a cutie? How could I?

“We were in the gay-straight alliance club. Well, at least you were there for one meeting.”

He laughed adorably.

“Oh, yeah, I remember that club.”

 

Suddenly, Dennis’ phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. 

“Hello? Yeah. Yeah, I am. Okay, I will. Bye,” he says before hanging up and turning to me. “Sorry. Boyfriend is rushing me.”

Boyfriend. I knew it.

“It’s cool,” I shrugged. “I’ll let you get to it then.”

“Thanks.”

 

Dennis grabbed a can off of the shelf and put it in his cart then walked off. I watched him leave, and when he turned the corner, I ran my fingers through my black hair and huffed my cheeks. I grabbed three cans of chicken noodle soup and went to the checkout center.

 

When I got home, I dropped the bag on the counter and saw Kai in the blanket sitting up and watching TV. He didn’t look up from the screen and just sniffled. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Like death,” he said, even his voice sounding sick. 

“I got you some soup.”

“Can you warm it for me?”

“Of course.”

 

I grabbed the can from the bag and opened it with a can opener. I had one of those automatic ones. I poured the contents in the bowl, thinking about Kai. I was honestly hoping he would feel better. Carlos would miss him at the dance club. 

 

After it was done warming up, I grabbed the bowl from the microwave and opened the drawer to grab a spoon. I closed it with my hip and then walked over to Kai.

“Bon appetit,” I said, setting down the bowl in front of him. 

 

“Thanks,” he sniffled and then scooped up a noodle and broth with the spoon. He shakily brought it up to his lips to blow on it and putting it into his mouth. I watched while he did this, and he must have felt my stare, because he glared up at me.

“What are you staring at?”

“Nothing,” I turned around. “Sorry.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

I cleaned up my room. I wanted to have Kai sleep in there until he got better, so I decided to make it at least a little decent looking for him. He seems like he needs things clean, even though he’s the dirtiest dancer I’ve seen. 

 

Nighttime came, and I didn’t make dinner for Kai. Instead, I warmed up yet another bowl of chicken noodle soup. That was all he ate. We sat at the small round table together as I ate ramen noodles and he slurped his soup.

“Want some more orange juice?” I asked him.

“Stop,” he responded strongly.

“Stop what?”

“Stop treating me like I’m a kid.” 

 

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I’m just so used to taking care of my little sister when she’s sick.” I laughed a little.

“Do I  _ look  _ like your sister?” Kai quirked a brow in question and sass. 

I wanted to throw my fork at his face.

“Nope,” I said. 

 

After we ate dinner, I told Kai to sleep in my room. He stayed silent for a moment before thanking me and going to bed. I plopped down on the couch, staring at the blank TV screen. I then realized that I needed a change of clothes from my room so I could get ready for work the next morning, so I walked over to my bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Kai?” I called.

No response.

“I’m coming in.”

 

I opened the door and saw that he was cuddled in my bed, snoring lightly. He reminded me of a kitten. I walked over to him silently and carefully ran my fingers through his hair. It was soft and fluffy. The child in me compared it to clouds. 

I looked down at his mouth that was hanging slightly open. I had thought about what Marissa said. Did I ever think about kissing him? No. Never. That was, up until now. His lips were nice and pink, and I wanted to see what it was like to kiss him. I wanted to see how I felt, and if I actually liked him. So, I leaned in and gently pressed my lips against his.

  
  


The next morning, I woke up with body pain and a headache. My throat felt scratchy and my nose was stuffed. I caught Kai’s sickness. I called my job and said I was sick. They told me to get better. I knew Marissa was going to kill me for not showing up. 

 

I dropped my phone and stared up at the ceiling. Just then, I heard a door open, and I looked to see Kai walk into the living room. He examined me.

“You look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks,” I couldn’t even speak without my throat feeling like burning hell. “Can you get me some soup?”   
“There’s only one can left.”

 

I looked into Kai’s eyes and saw determination in them, so I flew off of the couch and ran towards the cupboard. He did the same, so I tripped him and made my way to the soup. When I opened the cabinet, I felt a harsh tug at my shirt and I was yanked back. 

 

I lost balance and tripped over my own feet falling on my back. The air was knocked out of me. I looked up to see Kai looking at me in disbelief as though thinking  _ did I really just do that? _ Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a grin, and he started to laugh. His laugh was sweet and cute. His laugh was so adorable, it made my heart throb. I wondered why that happened.

 

“Okay, you got it,” Marissa said after I had asked her to buy me some soup and drop them off at my apartment. 

“Thanks,” I said. “See you later.”

“Bye.”

I hung up the phone and set it down on the table. I was sitting across from Kai who asked me how I got his sickness. I got flashbacks of me kissing him. 

“Don’t know,” I shrugged and covered my mouth where I got tingling sensations as though my lips got flashbacks of me kissing him, too. 

 

A while later, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see Marissa standing there with a Walmart bag in her hand. She wore a bright smile. It was too bright for me.

“Hello,” she walked in, and then lowered her voice. “Where’s your new roommate?” She whispered.

 

“In the bathroom,” I took the bag from her hand and took out a can. Just then, the bathroom door opened and out walked Kai. He looked her up and down and then put a hand on his hip.

“Who’s this?” He asked. 

“This is my co-worker, Marissa,” I introduced her. “Marissa, this is-”

“Santiago,” he cut me off. 

 

“Nice to meet you,” Marissa greeted him with a nice smile, but I could tell she was screaming on the inside because of how attractive he is and how honored she is to meet such a hottie. She tells me these things. 

 

“Do you mind if I stay over?” She asked me. I didn’t think. I just immediately told her no. The reason why was that I didn’t want her to tell him embarrassing things about me. This one time as I was making a hot drink, I started walking over to the counter to give the guy his drink, but he was so cute, my feet just decided to screw up, trip me, and I dumped hot coffee all over his nice white button up. 

 

“I mean, I’d hate to get you sick,” I half-lied. I didn’t want to get her sick, but I also didn’t want her spouting shit about my fuck-ups to Kai. 

“I’d hate for you to get me sick, too,” she frowned. “I’ll let you two get at it, then.” She waved her hand as she walked out of the apartment. “Use protection.”

 

“S-Shut up!” I stammered, my voice cracking like I was in middle school again. I hated that I got worked up because of that little statement. I heard Kai scoff behind me.

“As if I’d do you,” he said. 

“Yeah, well, I’d never do you either,” I responded, trying to seem as casual as possible, and I couldn’t tell if I was lying or not. 

“Are you sure about that?” Kai strolled on over to me and got dangerously close to my face. 

 

He glanced down at my lips for a split second, and then looked back into my eyes. I had just noticed how grey his orbs are. His lips seemed perfect at that moment.

“Are we about to kiss?” I asked quiety.

“Never,” Kai said before turning on his heel and walking through the hall and into my room. 


	8. Chapter 8

A month passed since Kai moved in with me, and things have been going pretty calmly. I started going to the dance club more often just in case his ex-boyfriend came back. Carlos is starting to get more and more suspicious of our relationship. I mean, we’re just friends. Even then, actually, I wouldn’t really call us “friends”. We’re just roommates.

 

One morning, there was a knock at the door. I looked at Kai who looked at me. Neither of us wanted to get up and answer it. I decided to take one for the team and went to the door. I peeked into the peephole to see the true definition of tall, tan, and handsome. 

 

There stood a guy with long legs, sharp jaw line, curly brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes. His skin was tanned like mine. I had wondered what nationality he was. 

“Answer it,” Kai said from behind me with his arms folded. When he saw how red my face was, he smirked. “Answer it.” He repeated. 

 

I turned my head back around and checked the peephole to make sure he was still there. And he was. I opened the door and looked up at him. I’m pretty tall myself, so I don’t really see people that are taller than me that often. He smiled at me, and it was like his beam shot straight through my heart. 

 

“Hello,” he greeted. “I just moved in next door, and I was wondering if you had any sugar I can use?” 

“He’s the sweetest,” Kai said and pushed me out of the apartment, closing the door behind me. I heard the door lock. 

I looked back at my new neighbor. He made a face of confusion. It was adorable. 

 

“Sorry about my roommate,” I apologized. “He’s usually not like this. Believe me, we’re good people.”

Tall Tan and Handsome chuckled. “Don’t worry, I believe you.”

“Thanks,” I breathed out rubbing the back of my neck. “Oh, I’ll be more than happy to walk with you to the store to buy some sugar. I’ll pay for it.”

“Are you sure?” His blue eyes slightly widened.

“Of course. Think of it as a gift from your neighbor.”

 

“Thank you very much,” he grinned. “My name is Alvaro. You can just call me Al.” Al introduced himself. I loved his name. 

“I’m Kenai,” I shook his hand.

“Kenai? Like the city in Alaska?” 

“Yes, exactly!” I grinned. “Finally someone says it. Everyone else calls me Brother Bear.”

Al laughed. “That’s cute.”

Cute. Cute.  _ Cute _ . 

 

We walked to gas station across the street and bought the sugar. As we walked to and from the store, we talked about why he moved into the apartment complex. As it turns out, his parents kicked him out for coming out of the closet. Rather than being hyped over the fact that he’s gay, I felt bad for him. My parents didn’t care about my sexuality, so I couldn’t really relate. All I could do was feel bad. 

 

On our way back to the complex, we walked with an awkward silence because there was nothing else to discuss. That was, until he asked how I ended up living with a roommate. I was just about to tell him that he got in a fight with his boyfriend until I remembered that he didn’t want me telling anyone about it. I could understand why.

“He just got kicked out of his house too,” I lied. 

“Oh,” was all Al said. “So, do you want to go out on a date sometime?”

 

I quirked a brow and smiled. “Wow, that was quick. What made you think I’m gay anyway?”

“You’ve got that vibe,” he shrugged. “So am I right?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “And to answer your question, yes. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Al chuckled.

“Oh, great, that was creepy wasn’t it?”

“No, no. It was adorable.”

Adorable.

 

I got home in a good mood. I knocked on the door with a smile on my face. I waited for Kai to open up. When he did, I let out a happy sigh.

“Love struck, huh?” He crossed his arms, looking me up and down with his hip sticking out. 

“I’ve got a date,” I said proudly. “He’s gonna pick me up Saturday and we’re going to a nice restaurant.”

“Oh, a nice one,” he nodded. 

 

I haven’t been on a date in a while. Sometimes there’s no second date, and most of the time it’s not my fault. At least, I don’t think so. I mean I’m pretty easy on the eyes and my personality isn’t shit. I get these dates from Carlos. He either sets me up with someone or we go to a gay meetup. I have no idea how he knows about these things. For once, I scored my own date with my charm. I was really looking forward to it. 

  
  



	9. Chapter 9

The day of my date came, and I stood in front of the mirror looking at myself up and down. I wore a black button up and good jeans. I was ready. 

“Hey,” I heard a knock at the bathroom door. “Your date is here.”

I opened the door to see Kai standing there, and he looked up at me. He was staring.

“What?” I asked.

He then stood on his tiptoes and brushed his fingers through my hair. He was fixing the strands that stuck up on the top of my head.

 

“Thank you,” I exhaled. I walked past him heading towards the door, and then peeked through the peephole to see what Al was wearing. Let’s just say one of us had to go home and change. I opened the door.

“Hey,” he smiled.

“Hi,” I blushed at his handsome grin.

“You ready to go?” Al asked with his hands behind his back.

I nodded.

 

On the drive to the restaurant, I stayed silent, waiting for him to come up with a conversation. But he didn’t. It was like something was on his mind. 

“Is something the matter?” I questioned.

“I should take you home,” Al said. 

“I’m sorry,” I responded in a confused tone. “Did I do something?”

 

“No, it’s not you,” he shook his head without even glancing at me. “I’ve got a boyfriend, and I just used you to make him jealous.”

“Oh,” I simply said. I looked down at my hands. “Why are you making him jealous?”

“Well,” he huffed his cheeks. “He’s constantly trying to make  _ me _ jealous, so I thought I’d try to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

 

“That’s not good,” I told him. “Don’t take other guys on dates. It’ll look like you’re cheating on him.”

“You’re right,” Al said in a hushed whisper. “I’m so sorry, Kenai. You’re a good guy.”   
“I’m not going to say it’s fine, because it’s not, so I’ll just say that your apology is accepted.”

“Thank you,” he smiled sadly at me, and then turned around the car.

 

I unlocked the door and walked into my apartment that seemed too small at that moment. Kai looked up from the TV.

“You’re home awfully early,” he said.

I walked over to the couch where he was and sat myself down with a sigh. 

“I’m tired,” I said, and then let my head fall on Kai’s lap. He flinched for a second, and then awkwardly patted my head.

“There, there,” he said. “There, there.”


	10. Chapter 10

One night at the dance club, I noticed something. Kai was sitting down during a slow dance. I had wondered why. There was no way that anybody wouldn’t want to dance with him. I wanted to walk over to him, but then I remembered how he said not to go near him in the club. I decided to follow that rule.

 

I went home that night wondering what was up with that. After a couple of hours, Kai came back. 

“Hey,” I peered up at him from the couch. 

“Hi,” he simply said sitting next to me. 

“So,” I began. “Why didn’t you dance?”   
“What?”   
“Slow dance, I mean.”

 

“I just don’t like to,” he said, and I could tell he was lying. I noticed that whenever he lies, his nose scrunches up and he furrows his brows. I remember asking him if he left his hair in the sink and he said no. He scrunched his nose and furrowed his brows, exactly like how he did just now.

“You’re lying,” I told him.

Kai looked at me. 

“Just tell me. I won’t laugh.”

 

“I don’t know how to slow dance, believe it or not,” Kai averted his gaze. “I’m only good at fast-pace dancing.”   
“Oh,” I said. “That’s not that bad.”   
“But you think it’s strange, don’t you?”   
“Yeah, but I’m not going to laugh at you for it.”

“You’d better not. I’d kick your ass if you did.”

“I believe you,” I chuckled and then stood up. “Dance with me.” I held out my hand to him.

 

“No,” Kai looked at me half-angry, half-confused. He glared at my hand. “Did you not just hear me? I can’t dance.”   
“That’s why I’m going to teach you,” I said before taking his hand and pulling him up off the couch. He was light. I put my hand on his hip.

“Stop it,” he moved my hand from his hip, but I put it right back there. Stronger this time.

 

“Let me teach you so you don’t look like a chump while everyone else is dancing,” I told him. 

“We don’t even have music,” he grumbled. 

“Then I’ll put some on,” I said before letting go of him and grabbing my phone. I went on YouTube and played All of Me by John Legend. 

 

The intro started playing and I hurried back to Kai. I put one of his hands on my shoulder and held the other in mine, then put my other hand on his hip. 

“Follow my lead, okay?” I took a step, then another. Step, step, step. He followed along nicely. I knew he could. He came a little closer to me, and I hummed the song in his ear. When the music stopped, Kai didn’t let go of my hand as his shoulders started shaking. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew he was crying. I didn’t know why he was crying, or why I did this, but I hugged him close to me, still taking little steps rocking him back and forth. 

 

The next day, I sat with Marissa during my lunch break. I took small nibbles of my chocolate muffin, thinking about Kai and why he was crying. It broke my heart not knowing why and knowing that I can’t help him if he doesn’t tell me why. It broke my heart because I knew he’d never tell me. 

 

“What’s on your mind?” Marissa asked, taking my muffin and ripping off a huge part of it, then shoving it in her mouth. 

“Nothing,” I lied to her. Kai would kill me if I told anyone he was crying. 

“Fight with your roommate?” 

“Not really.”  
“Oh, I get it,” she suddenly grinned slyly. “You like him.”  
  
“As a friend, yeah,” I simply said before taking a sip of my iced coffee. I heard her humming in thought.

“So how would you feel if I swept him off his feet?”

I scoffed. “Good luck. You know he’s gay.”

“There’s a chance.”   
“Little. Very little.”

“What if it was Carlos?”

 

I started to laugh. I knew Carlos had a crush on his precious “Santiago”, but when he finds out who he really is, he’d feel disappointed. Carlos has a type, and Kai is  _ not _ his type. 

“Don’t laugh,” Marissa frowned. “I think you like him.”   
“How did we get to this topic, anyway?”

“You were spacing out again like you always do ever since he moved in with you. You don’t even pay attention to hotties that walk in anymore.”

 

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I told her. “Even if I did like him, I wouldn’t have a chance. I hope you know that.”

“Have you looked in a mirror? You’re handsome.”   
“I’m flattered, really, but apparently I’m not a good enough grinder for him.”   
“Grinder?”   
“Insider.”   
“You’re hiding a lot from me.”

“I know,” I stood up and threw away my empty plastic cup. “Let’s go back to work now.”


	11. Chapter 11

One night as I was laying in bed trying to sleep, I heard the sound of a creaking bed and moaning next door where Al lived.

“Alvaro!” The male voice yelled out. 

Just then, Kai stormed into my room.

“Can you tell them to shut up?!”

 

“Leave me alone,” I sat up. “I don’t want to hear any of your shit right now.” I was obviously upset, and let me tell you why. I still had some little feelings for Al, and hearing him and his boyfriend  _ loudly _ have sex next door did not help my healing heart. 

 

Kai heaved a sigh. He then walked over to my bed and told me to get up. I asked him why.

“Because we’re going to get him back,” he said. “And I’m not just doing this for you. I want to give him the same treatment.” 

 

Just then, Kai stood on my bed and jumped up and down. He looked at me like he wanted me to join, so I did. I hopped on my bed and Kai started moaning loud, and I mean  _ loud _ . 

“Ooh, Kenai!” He moaned my name in the sexiest voice. “Harder!”

Speaking of harder, I almost got hard myself.

 

I jumped harder on my bed. I, too, started to groan as he continued to say lewd things. I kind of wished it was real. 

“You like that, you slut?” I grinned as I said this, and Kai turned around to slap me across the face. 

“What are you doing?” He angrily whispered. 

“Sorry,” I whispered back holding my cheek where I was just slapped. 

 

“Kenai, Kenai!” He whimpered, and then turned around and bent over. “Spank me.”

“What?” I nearly lost my breath.

“Hurry up and do it,” he demanded, panting. 

Doing as told, I spanked his ass.

“Harder!” He moaned.

Without hesitation, I spanked him harder. 

 

I was starting to wonder if he was enjoying this as much as I was. I had to admit, maybe I was a little turned on. Okay, maybe a lot. We kept this up for a while until they stopped, but Kai didn’t want to stop there. 

“Time for the big finale,” he was out of breath. “Slam me against the wall.” 

 

Part of me didn’t want to do this, but part of me really wanted to. I knew it was wrong to get this close to him. I knew it was dangerous. But I did it anyway. I slammed him against the wall with a slam. His ass grinded on my crotch.

“I’m cumming!” He yelled, and I definitely knew that they heard that one. Finally, it was over.

 

I slowly stepped away from him, and he steadily turned around. I saw the interested look on his face. 

“You’re hard,” he said, smirking.

“No I’m not,” I hurriedly said. 

“Yes you are,” he purred in my ear, rubbing my crotch with his small-ish hand. It made me twitch.

 

There was no way this was happening. There was no way I was  _ letting  _ this happen. There was also no way I wanted this to happen. I was just in denial.

“Are we about to…?” I drifted off.

“Never,” Kai said, dropping his smirk and turning on his heel to walk off. I watched him go, and when he left sight, I plopped down on my bed. I hid my face in my palms, and made muffled noises.

 

The next morning, I walked out of the apartment to see Al walking out at the same time, and we both closed our doors. 

“Good morning,” I said. “Sorry if we were too loud last night.”

“It’s okay,” he chuckled. “My boyfriend and I were doing the same thing all night.”

“Ah,” I smiled looking down. 

“Well, I’m off to the gym,” Al said as he waved his hand and walked down the hallway. 

I went to work, thinking about how happy he must be with his boyfriend. I envied him.

 

When I got home, I unlocked the door and walked in, announcing that I was home. Kai was reading one of my books that I had in my bookshelf. It was one of the hardcovers.

“You look awful,” he commented. 

“I really appreciate it,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

“Sorry,” he surprisingly apologized. “I’m not good at cheering people up.”

 

“Yeah, I see that,” I stood there by the door, looking him up and down. He was wearing my sweats and a blue crop top. I also looked at his hair. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Kai breathed out.

“Let me play with your hair,” I said.

“Why?”

“Do you wanna make me feel better or not?” 

“Fine.”

 

I sat on the couch as Kai sat on the floor between my legs. I brushed his hair, and it felt soft and fluffy. I ran my fingers through his straight strands. He was being nice to my surprise. I was thinking about if I liked Kai or not. I know shouldn’t have, I do, but I leaned in and kissed the top of his head.

 

Kai shot his head around and I saw that he was blushing from his ears, to his cheeks, and even to his nose. I didn’t know he was physically able to do that. 

“Sorry,” I apologized. “It was an accident.”

“Bullshit!” His voice cracked. 

He was so cute.

 

Kai got up and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. I walked over to the door and stared at the white paint on it, wondering if I should explain myself. I knocked.

“Kai?” I called. “I’m sorry, okay?”   
There was no response.

“Okay?” I repeated.

“No, it’s not okay,” he said lowly, but loud enough for me to hear.

 

“...did he do those things, too?” I asked in a hushed voice. Kai was quiet, and I started to wonder if he even heard me.   
“Yes,” he finally whispered.

“I’m not him.”

“I know,” he sobbed. I heard him cry, and it just killed me inside. 

“Open the door,” I said.

 

The door creaked open, and Kai was standing there looking down with tears streaming down his red cheeks. I immediately took him into my arms and hugged him close to me. He wrapped his arms around me back, and sobbed into my chest.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “It’s okay.”


	12. Chapter 12

“I’m going out of town to attend a wedding,” I told Kai as we ate at the dinner table. He was wearing a red baseball tee-like crop top and maroon sweats with two white stripes on the sides. He no longer needed the makeup, because his bruises had disappeared, but the scar on his heart remained. 

 

“Cool,” Kai responded cooly and blew on his noodles. He slurped them up and I continued.

“I was kind of hoping you’d come with me, maybe?”

“Why?” 

That got his attention. 

“Because I got a plus one invitation.”

“So, what, you want me to be your date?”

“You can think of it that way.”

“What about the dance club?”

“What  _ about _ the dance club?”

 

I was starting to wonder if he was making excuses so he wouldn’t have to go along with me. 

“You know what,” I said. “You don’t have to go. It’s fine.”

“No,” he responded to my surprise. “I’ve never been to a wedding. It could be fun.” Kai shrugged and took another slurp of his noodles.

“Okay,” I tried keeping my cool. 

“So how are we going to get there?” He asked. 

  
  


We sat in front of the apartment complex with our bags waiting for my cousin to come pick us up. 

“Your cousin isn’t, you know, homophobic, is he?” Kai nervously asked. I’ve never seen him nervous before.

“Are you kidding?” I almost laughed. “He’s gayer than I am. He might even hit on you.”

“And why is that?”

“Well you’re, you know.”   
“I’m what?”

“Nothing, never mind,” I looked away in embarrassment. 

 

A while later, a blue PT Cruiser drove up in front of us. It was Jason. I stood up and Kai followed suit with his bag in hand. 

“Are you ready?” I asked. 

He nodded.

 

I hopped in the front seat and Kai got in the back. Jason turned his head around and looked him up and down.

“Well hello there,” Jason grinned.

“Stop it,” I demanded. “You’re too young.”

“He’s younger and he has a car before you?” Kai said.   
“Ouch, I felt that one,” Jason nodded.

 

I rolled my eyes and asked if we could just go already. Jason drove off and I looked out the window, watching the passing scenery. It was quiet, just how Kai liked it. It was quiet until Jason decided to play some music. I glanced behind my shoulder to look at Kai. He was staring outside. 

 

“So,” Jason spoke up, making me jump. “Why did you two decide to become roommates?” 

“Got kicked out for being gay,” Kai answered from the back.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jason responded. “How’d you guys meet anyway? And should aunty Mary expect children some day?”

“Shut up already, would you?”

 

“So harsh to me, cousin,” he complained like he always does. This was something normal between us. I always used to bully him, and I don’t know why I did that. I still do it to this day because he’s annoying, but I still love him. 

 

It took us a little while to get there. The sky eventually turned black and bright stars spotted the sky. I turned around in my seat to see Kai sleeping peacefully. He looked almost normal, and by normal, I mean a nice, well-mannered being. 

 

When we got to the hotel my mom booked for us, Jason dropped us off in front of the lounge. I checked us in, and we went to our room. After getting into our room, Kai walked over to one of the beds and fell on it. I could tell he was tired.

 

“Aren’t you going to get dressed in your pajamas?” I asked looking down at him. He rolled over and looked up at me with grey eyes.

“Do it for me.” 

“Oh, I get it,” I sighed. “You’re one of those people that acts drunk when they’re tired.”   
“Shut up and cuddle with me.”

“No.”   
“Why not?”   
“Because when morning time comes, you’re not gonna remember this conversation and ask me why I was sleeping with you.”

 

“You’re probably right,” Kai said, and then rolled over. I heard him lightly snoring, and I walked over to him and shook his shoulder. 

“Hey, put your pajamas on.”   
“Do it for me,” he murmured.

I pulled out my phone, went to the camera, and pressed record. “Do what for you?”

“Put my jammies on for me.”

I found it adorable how he used the word jammies. 

 

I stopped recording and grabbed his bag. I pulled out pajama pants but there was no T-shirt. Only a crop top and nice clothing for the wedding. He either planned on sleeping shirtless or forgot to bring a top to sleep in. I unzipped Kai’s jacket slowly, swallowing hard. I then slipped it off his shoulders and took his shirt off. His skin was no longer damaged, much to my relief.

 

Then came the hard part. The pants. Oh, the pants. My worst enemy as of that moment. I gulped as I unbuttoned his jeans, and then unzipped them. I pulled them off and saw that he was wearing red plaid boxers. They almost matched his pajama pants.

 

“Okay, you’re gonna have to work with me here,” I told him as I slipped on one of the pant legs onto him, then the other. “Stand up.”   
“No,” he denied.

I grunted. I tried my best to pull them up on him, and somehow, it worked. 

 

I covered him up with the blankets and let out a sigh in exhaustion. Walking over to my side of the room, I muttered things. I got undressed and changed into my pajamas, then laid down on my bed. The pillows were fluffy and cool, just how I liked it. Soon enough, I fell into a deep sleep. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, Jason picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the wedding. We were all dressed formally, and boy, did Kai look good. He looked hot, rather than just “good”. He didn’t seem to like it though. He’s more of a casual person. 

 

When we got to the beautiful lake where the ceremony was at, everyone stared at Kai and I as I searched for my mom to introduce him to her. 

“Kenai!” One of my younger cousins called. She was nine years old and had long black hair and long eyelashes. I knew she’d be a heartbreaker when she gets older. 

“Hey, Lydia,” I smiled at her as she hugged me.

 

“Psst!” She hissed and waved her hand, motioning for me to bend down. “Who is that?” She whispered in my ear. “He’s cute.”

“This is Kai,” I said, standing back up. “He’s my plus one.”

“Nice to meet you,” Kai held out his hand for her to shake. 

 

Lydia looked at his hand, then back at him. She slowly held out her hand and shook it. I could tell she was shy.

“I don’t bite,” Kai chuckled. 

“How strong are you?” My other younger cousin asked. 

“Why?” He tilted his head.

“I wanna ride on your shoulders!”

“On our way here, Kenai said he was totally up for that.”

 

“What?” I asked, looking at Kai in confusion. He only smiled slyly at me. I looked back at the kids that had a hopeful look in their eyes.

“If I give you guys a piggyback ride, will you tell me where aunt Mary is?”   
“Yeah!” They all shouted at the same time. I hadn’t noticed that a whole bunch of kids flocked around me like birds. 

 

I put Toby on my shoulders first, then Lydia, then Emily, and then Julian. They each got a turn for five seconds.

“Now will you guys help me find aunty Mary?” I asked.

“She’s over by the water!” They exclaimed, pointing towards the lake. 

 

Kai and I walked towards her as she was talking to my aunt Sylvia. When she caught sight of us, she smiled widely.

“Hello,” she greeted Kai before saying anything to me. “You must be Kenai’s plus one. I’m his mother. You can just call me Mary.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mary,” Kai shook her hand. “I’m Kai.”

“Kai,” she echoed his name. “I like that. Almost sounds like Kenai.”

“Speaking of,” I spoke up, “I’m right here, mom.” 

 

Her attention drew to me, and I noticed that the bags under her eyes were gone. 

“How’s my son?” She beamed and hugged me. 

“Great,” I hugged her back.

“Great?” Her light brown eyes went a little wide. “Not just good, but great?” 

“Is there something wrong with that?” I chuckled.

 

My mother giggled and shook her head, then looked up at me, craning her neck. “You sure have gotten tall,” she said.

“You say that everytime you see me, mom.”

“You’re my baby boy, and everytime I see you, it’s like you’re getting older and older,” she says, and then continues. “So, how did you and Kai meet?”

 

“We met at a dance club,” I told her, and I didn’t have to lie either. We really did meet at a dance club, I’m not going to tell her what we were doing there. If you recall, we were grinding. There was no way in hell I was telling her that.

“Do you work there, Kai?” She asked.

 

“Sort of,” I answered for him. “He’s a dancer there. He goes every night like he’s getting paid.”

“And you’re not?” Mom’s eyes went round. “You must really like dancing.”

“Yes,” Kai laughed. “I do.”

“What kind of dance do you like to do?”

I couldn’t answer for him this time.   
“Salsa.”

 

“Salsa!” She repeated, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and excitement. “Why don’t I ask the DJ to play some salsa music so you two can dance?”   
“No, that’s okay,” Kai and I both said simultaneously then looked at each other. 

“Are you two dating?” Mom questioned us suspiciously with a smile on her face. 

“No,” we, once again, said at the same time.

“You should.”   
“Mom, stop it,” I told her. “And I don’t like to dance.”

 

“You’re such a liar,” she waved her hand and laughed. “You used to dance with your stuffed animals all the time.”   
“Really, now?” Kai looked at me.

“Mom, no.”   
“Mom, yes,” she folded her arms. “Don’t tell me no.”

 

We argued for a minute until it was time to take our seats for the bride and groom to read their vows. Kai and I sat next to each other, waiting for the bride. The groom had his hands folded together. He wore a small smile on his face. 

 

Just then, the music started to play, meaning the bride was coming. We all turned our heads to see the one and only slowly walking down the aisle with her father. The groom smiled wide and covered his mouth as he started to tear up. He squinted his eyes closed and leaned forward. It made  _ me  _ want to cry seeing how happy he was. 

 

I looked at Kai who watched the happy couple at the altar. He was smiling with a kind look in his eyes. I know I should have been focusing on the wedding, I know, but Kai looked just as beautiful as the moment. It was like seeing him for the first time. 

 

They said their vows, and I listened attentively to what they were saying. Each word was a tug at my heartstrings. Their love was so strong I could feel it myself. I knew exactly who I felt love for at that moment. But I was scared. I was scared it was just for the moment.

  
  



	14. Chapter 14

When the bride and groom kissed, we all cheered. Some people even stood up. I was one of those people. We then danced after the couple had their first dance. I sat with Kai because he didn’t really want to dance in front of all these people, for once. 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to dance?” I asked him, quirking a brow. I really wanted to dance.

“I’m sure,” he folded his arms. 

“Alright.”

 

Just then, one of my aunts walked over to our small table dragging along a poor sucker with her. But he was pretty cute. His skin was white like Kai’s, but not as pale. He was as tall as me and had ash blonde hair and eyes that got greener and greener the closer they got to us.

 

“Kenai,” my aunt Lucy smiled wide. “This is Crispin, my co-worker. I thought I’d bring him as my plus one so you two could meet since you’re both, you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” I laughed awkwardly and then stood up to shake his hand. “Hi. I’m Kenai.”

“Crispin,” he said giving a charming beam. “I really like your name.”

“Thank you,” I say, feeling myself blush. I’m easy to blush if you haven’t noticed already. 

 

Just then, the next slow song played. It was All of Me by John Legend. It reminded me of the time I slow danced with Kai. 

“You wanna dance?” Crispin asked.

“Um,” I looked at Kai. “Is that okay?”

“I’m not your boyfriend, you know,” he scoffed. “You can do whatever you want.”

 

So that’s what I did. I walked onto the floor with Crispin and he led the steps. It didn’t feel right. The way he held me close didn’t feel right at all. It’s always what I wanted, to have a romantic dance with a nice, hot guy. But he wasn’t the one. I looked past his shoulder to see that Kai was watching us with a look in his eyes I couldn’t read. After a few seconds of locked eye contact, Kai got up and walked away. 

 

I pulled away from Crispin, and when he asked me what was wrong, I told him that I got nervous. I didn’t like lying to him like that, but I had to get away. I headed towards the lake where Kai was. He sat on the bench that faced away from the water, and when he caught sight of me heading towards him, he immediately got up and tried walking away, but I grabbed his wrist.

“Wait,” my voice came out a little shaky. 

 

“Go away,” Kai muttered without looking back at me. It sounded like he was going to cry, and that stung my chest.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, just go away.”

“Tell me what’s wrong and I will.”

 

“Stop it! You know what’s wrong!” He suddenly shouted snatching his wrist away from my grasp. The way he looked at me hurt like hell. He was tearing up. “You’re taking advantage of me!”

“What are you talking about?” I tried keeping my voice leveled, hoping he would follow suit.

“You’re just trying to fuck me,” he almost whispered.

“What makes you think that?”   
“Because that’s all anyone’s ever done and I know you’re not different.”

 

Kai then started walking away from me. He was fast, but I was faster. Perks of having long legs.

“I’m not after just your body, you know,” I said, somewhat confessing my feelings for him.

“I don’t want you to be after anything.”   
“Do you not feel the same?”

 

“Just get away from me,” he stopped and started walking backwards. He was heading straight towards the water.

“Kai, look out!” I tried grabbing his hand, but before I could, he took one more step back and fell. I grabbed onto his wrist to pull him back up, but I was dragged down with him. 

 

We both fell into the lake and Kai panicked. I grabbed his hands and told him to kick his legs. 

“Let me drown,” he said in a demanding tone. 

“Tell me,” I squeezed his hands. “Do you feel the same way?”

“That doesn’t matter, just get me out of here.”   
“It matters to me,” I almost shouted.

 

“Okay, fine!” He yelled in my face. “I like you! Okay? I like you. Don’t let it get in your head, though. Don’t get used to this. I’m going to give up on you.”

“Don’t,” I pleaded. “Please don’t.”

There was a silence between us. I then slowly put my hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him, but he suddenly pulled away from me and went under water.

 

I heaved a sigh, waiting for him to come back up. He’d run out of breath sooner or later. A few more seconds passed, and I was right. He did come back up. He wiped his face and right when he removed his hands, I kissed him on the cheek. His face turned beet red.

“Let’s get out of here.”

 

We sat on the bench waiting for our clothes to dry. We took off our vests and socks and shoes, and removed our ties. Kai and I just sat there, staring at our toes. I looked at his hand that rested close to mine. I moved my fingers to touch his, and he didn’t even flinch.

 

I assumed it was okay to hold his hand, so I did. He surprisingly squeezed, so I squeezed back. 

“I’m sorry,” he suddenly apologized.

“For?”   
“For acting out like that, and assuming you were after my body. It’s just, nobody really liked me for me other than  _ that  _ asshole,” he explained. “And we both know how that turned out. I just figured my personality sucks enough to make someone hurt me like that.”

“No,” I said. “You’re amazing. Your looks, your sense of humor, your kindness.”

“That’s what everyone is like.”

 

“But you’re different,” I told him, and he really was. He was truly different. I loved him for it. “I know you might not believe me, but I really like you for who you are. It’s not just your looks, you know.”

“I like you, too,” he said, “but you might hate me later on.”   
“Why would I?”   
“I...I don’t know.”

 

“Don’t be afraid of your feelings,” I sat closer to him, giving his hand another squeeze. “Trust me.”

Kai looked at me with a scared and worried look in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, and then shut it.

“Trust me,” I repeated.

“I trust you,” he finally said.

“So kiss me.”

“No, you kiss me.”

 

So that’s what I did. I put my free hand on his cheek and kissed him passionately. It felt like a firework had exploded inside of my heart and spread throughout my body. It wasn’t like our first kiss. It was much better than that. I wanted this. I  _ needed _ this. When we pulled away, he panted a little. I guess I held onto him for too long.

“Keep me safe,” he said. “Keep me safe.”

  
  



	15. Chapter 15

A few months passed since Kai and I got together, and he got a job at the dance club as a bartender in the morning and dancer at night. I continued to work as a barista at the coffee shop. I told Marissa about us, but I still haven’t told Carlos. One afternoon on my day off, he called me. 

 

“Dude,” he said quickly. “You’ve gotta get down to the dance club right now, and run!” And with that, he hung up. Being the worry wart I am, I hurried to the club which was fortunately close by. I was scared that something happened to Carlos. I was scared that something happened to Kai.

 

When I got there, I slammed the door open to see that nothing was going on. Everything was calm and normal. Something caught my eye. It was Carlos waving his arm, trying to get me to sit with him at the bar. The smile he wore on his lit up face infuriated me. 

 

I stormed over to him. “What the hell, man? Why did you make me run over here making it seem like it was an emergency?”

“It  _ is  _ an emergency,” he said. “Look!” 

He then pointed to my left and I looked to see Kai serving a drink to someone. He had his hair tied back and his hip was sticking out. He looked sexy doing what he was doing. It distracted me from my anger but I quickly recovered from that distraction. 

 

“That is not an emergency,” I furrowed my brows. “That’s called getting a job, dude.” I sat down next to him running my fingers through my hair. 

“Whatever, man,” he waved his hand. “If you’re as obsessed with him like I am you’d understand.”

Oh, trust me, I am obsessed. I couldn’t tell him that though. Carlos still has a fat crush on Kai, and I wasn’t sure how to tell him that his best friend is dating him.

 

Just then, Kai made his way over to us. He was wearing that skin tight black crop top and black leggings. I still couldn’t believe that he was mine. But we still haven’t had sex yet. I’m working on it. 

“Can I get you something to drink?” He asked.

“Just a water,” I responded as casual as I could.

 

Kai turned around to grab a glass and spray some water into it. I tried not to look, so I turned my head to Carlos to see him staring at his ass and grinning like a fool. I kicked his leg.

“Dude,” I whispered.

“What?” He whispered back. 

I shook my head.

 

Kai turned back around to set the glass in front of me saying “here you are”, and then walking off. I looked at Carlos who bit his lip.

“I hate it when he loves but I love watching him go.”

“So why don’t you ask him out?” I said, trying to make him say no so that I can say “then  _ I’ll _ ask him out”.

“You know what? Maybe I will this time,” he taps his finger tips on the counter as he says this. 

“Wait, seriously?” I was taken aback. 

 

Without saying another word, Carlos gets off the bar stool and walks over to where Kai was polishing shot glasses. I watch from afar as Carlos works his magic, making Kai laugh sweetly. It made me jealous. I only made him laugh once, and that wasn’t even on purpose.

 

I looked away from them. I couldn’t watch any longer without walking over there and telling Carlos the truth. I downed my glass of water.

“You alone?” I heard a voice ask. 

I turned my head around to see Al standing there.

“Al?”

“Oh, Kenai,” his eyes went wide. “Sorry, I didn’t know that was you.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine,” I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck, “but what are you doing here? What about your boyfriend?”

“We broke up.”

“Oh, really? Why is that?” 

“Well,” he huffed his cheeks. “I caught him cheating on me.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah. So how are you and your boyfriend?”

 

“Um,” I began, turning my head to look at Kai and Carlos conversing rather closely. “I don’t know.” 

“Is that him over there?” Al asked. “He’s a looker.”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “He is.” 

“And you’re letting him work at a gay bar?”   
“I trust him.”

“Who’s that guy he talking to?”

 

“My best friend,” I said, lifting my shoulders then letting them fall. “He’s planning on asking him out.”

“Testing your boyfriend?”   
“Nah,” I shook my head. “He doesn’t know we’re dating and he actually has a huge crush on him.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah. Yikes.”

 

“Well, if he ever ends up cheating on you like mine did,” he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Give me a call.”

“It won’t come to that,” I glared at him.

“Alright, alright. Just saying,” he smiled, and then leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. “See you later, neighbor.”

 

Just then, water shot our way and sprayed on Al. We both looked to see Kai holding the small water hose for cleaning.

“Oops,” he smiled. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Al waved at him, and then turned to me. “You’re welcome.”

And with that, he left the bar. 

 

I looked down at my empty glass and smiled to myself. Kai was jealous. Kai was jealous and adorable. 

“Dude, what was that about?” Carlos’ voice came my way as he walked over to me. 

“Dunno,” I shrugged, trying to wipe off the grin from my face, but I failed miserably. 

“Okay, what’s going on?” He squinted at me.

 

I let out a deep sigh, and said without thinking, “Alright. I’ll tell you.” I don’t know why I said that. Why does my mouth talk without my permission?

“I’m listening,” he sat on the bar stool.

I regretted this immediately.

 


	16. Chapter 16

I didn’t know where to start off. Should I tell him I’m dating Kai? Or should I explain how we ended up being roommates? I just went off with what was at the top of my head.

“Well…’Santiago’ and I are living together,” I said doing air quotes as I said “Santiago”. 

“You guys are  _ what _ ?”

“It’s a long story, and I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“But I’m your best friend.”   
“But it’s a promise.”

 

Carlos let out a deep sigh and hung his head. He seemed frustrated but I could tell he was trying to swallow those feelings. 

“Okay, fine,” he said. “But that doesn’t explain why he sprayed water all over that guy.”

“We’ve kind of been dating....for a month.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me this?” He scowled and raised his voice a little. 

“Because I knew how much you had a crush on him,” I kept my tone leveled. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’m more hurt by the fact that you kept it a secret from me. For just how long were you planning on hiding your relationship with him?” He lowered his voice back to normal tone. 

“Until you got over him,” I responded, unable to look him in the eyes.

“You made me look like a fool, trying to make me ask him out like that when you both know he’s going to reject me.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ve got to understand that I was trying to protect you.”

 

“I do understand that, but haven’t you stopped to think that your best friend would want to know what’s going on with you?” He squinted at me.

I stayed quiet.

“I didn’t think so,” Carlos got off of the stool and started to storm off before Kai walked towards him and put a hand to his chest.

 

“Wait,” he said. “This is my fault. I’m the one that told Kenai to keep our relationship a secret, and I didn’t want anyone to know why I was living with him. But I’ll be willing to explain everything to you.”

I watched the back of Carlos’ head, wondering what he was thinking until he finally said something.

“What time do you get off of work?” He asked Kai.

“In three hours,” Kai responded, glancing at me.

 

Carlos then said that he wanted to meet up with us at my place when Kai gets off of work without asking me if it was okay, but he didn’t have to. He had the right to call the shots at that moment. 

 

I stayed at the bar with Kai until three hours had gone and passed. We went to my- I mean,  _ our _ apartment, and waited for Carlos to show. Not long after we sat down on the sofa, there was a knock at the door. I stood on my feet and walked over to open the door for Carlos. He wore a stoic expression, which wasn’t really like him to be so serious.

 

“Hey,” I said awkwardly. “Come in.” I stepped aside for him to walk in. When him and Kai made eye contact, his ears didn’t turn red like they normally did. I guess he really was upset. I mean, I knew that from the beginning, but it was really obvious now. 

“So,” Carlos spoke, folding his arms. “Go ahead.”

 

I watched Kai who looked up at Carlos with an expression I couldn’t read. Probably because I was too nervous of what Carlos’ reaction would be. I was hoping that we’d still be friends after this.

 

“I got in a fight with my boyfriend who hit me, and Kenai came over to save me from him,” Kai began. “I got kicked out of our home, so Kenai took me into his apartment. I couldn’t go anywhere else though. I don’t have many friends, and my parents are no longer around.”

“What do you mean ‘no longer around’?” 

“Carlos,” I said his name a little sternly. 

 

“It’s fine,” Kai told me, and then looked back at Carlos. “My parents died in a car accident two years ago.” 

I looked down pursing my lips. I knew something like that had happened by the way he avoided talking about his parents, so it didn’t come as much of a shock to me, but it still hurt just to hear him say it. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Carlos apologized, pausing for a while before moving onto the next question. “So, what is your real name?”   
“Kai. Kai Santiago Rivera.”

This was the first time I heard him say his full name. I wonder why I never asked him about it before?

 

“Well,” Carlos suddenly broke into a smile. “I guess that’s all I needed to know.” 

“You’re not mad?” I asked.

“Not as much as I was before, but I understand why you had to keep it a secret. I’m sorry if I overreacted a little.”

“It’s alright, just as long as we’re good now.”

“Yeah, we are,” Carlos grinned at me. “So, how about a threesome?”


	17. Chapter 17

I kicked Carlos out as soon as I heard him say that. I slammed the door in his face. He knocked.

“Come on, you know I was just joking!” He called.

Kai walked over to me and cupped my face in his small, pale hands that I loved dearly. He then stood on his toes to kiss me passionately, Carlos still knocking on the door until he suddenly stopped.

“You guys are making out, aren’t you?”

 

I then lifted Kai off his feet and carried him to my room. I kicked the door open and laid him on my bed.

“Slow down there,” Kai quirked a brow with a smirk. “Your friend is outside, you know.”

“I don’t care,” I leaned in and started to kiss his neck. I then started sucking, and when I got to a certain spot, he moaned. I pulled away to look at his deep grey eyes. “Looks like I found your sweet spot,” I chuckled.

“Shut up,” he blushed.

 

I bit down on that same spot making him whine my name. He immediately covered his mouth.

“Don’t do that,” I removed his hand. “I want to hear your voice.”

I started sucking his neck again, and he let out small whimpers in pleasure.

“What’s up with you today?” He asked with his fingers in my hair.

 

“When Carlos asked for a threesome, even if it was a joke,” I muttered, “it made me realize I don’t want to share you with anyone else, so don’t bother asking.”

“I won’t,” I heard him say.

I pulled away from his neck to look at his face, and he wore a warm smile. It made my heart do a leap, and I wanted to do him right then and there.

 

I reached behind my back to grab the collar of my shirt and pulled it off to throw it across the room. Kai gulped.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I told him.

“No,” he responded and touched my cheek with his small hand. “I want to.”

I touched his hand that touched my face then kissed him passionately. Both our bodies and hearts collided that day.

 

The next morning, I felt around the bed for Kai’s bare body, but all I felt was the cool sheets.  I opened my eyes to see he was gone. I walked outside the room and checked the kitchen and living room, but he wasn’t there. I then checked the fridge and the counter for a note, but there wasn’t one.

 

I plopped down on the couch running my fingers through my hair. Is this what he meant when he said I would hate him? No, there’s gotta be a good reason for this. Just as I was freaking out on the inside, the door opened, and I immediately shot my head up to see Kai walking in with a Mickey D’s bag. Then, he saw me.

“What’s wrong with you?” He asked. “You look pale. Did I suck the life out of you last night?”

 

“No,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “No. It’s nothing. I just thought...you know what? Never mind.” I just wasn’t thinking. “What you got there?”

“I thought I’d buy us some breakfast,” he lifted up the bag and looked at it, then turned his attention to me. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

“Positive,” I said walking up to him then gave him a kiss.

 

“Nice work last night,” Kai smirked, putting his arms around my neck. “I didn’t know you were so skilled.”  
“Actually, that was my first time,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

“Makes me want to do you again,” he commented, licking his lips.

“Now you really will suck the life out of me,” I laughed a little.

 

“Anyway, here,” he said as he handed me the bag that smelled good, and I mean really good. I looked inside to see a small and familiar box. It looked just like the one that had the engagement ring inside it that I had for Kai. I bought after the day we started dating. I just knew I wanted to marry him.

 

“That’s for me, isn’t it?” Kai looked down inside the bag instead of looking up at me. “I found it in your drawer looking for a T-shirt.”

“You couldn’t wait until I asked you?”

“I figured you wouldn’t have the balls to, so I decided to bring it up myself.”

 

“Well,” I heaved a sigh and got down on one knee, unable to contain the smile that creeped up on my face.  Here it goes. “Kai Santiago Rivera, will you marry me?”

“No,” he responded, folding his arms.

“What?”  
“Ask me again when you can do it on your own.”

 

I broke into a grin and got back up. I embraced him in my arms and held him close, telling him I love him.

“I love you too,” he said, hugging me back.

That was how I had to make my way up onto marrying Kai Santiago Rivera. That was how I knew I found my happily ever after.

 


End file.
